State Rep. Larry Liston on Monday fired the latest salvo in the ongoing war over beer in Colorado.

Liston, R-Colorado Springs, filed legislation that would allow convenience stores and groceries — which now can sell only 3.2 beer — to sell full-strength beer.

"It's basically bringing Colorado into the 21st century," Liston said. "I'm doing it on behalf of the consumers of Colorado. The consumers recognize the need for a modest change for convenience and flexibility for themselves to be able to buy their full- strength beer, be it in a grocery store, convenience store or liquor store.

"To them, beer is beer."

Three bills in prior years to allow convenience stores and groceries to sell full-strength beer have failed, and none of the measures ever made it to the floor.

It's unclear whether anything has changed that would allow such legislation to go further than in past years, and recent actions by Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat and a former microbrewer, cast doubt on whether he'd be sympathetic to such a bill.

Under decades-old law, only liquor stores and restaurants can sell full-strength beer, while convenience stores and groceries must sell low-strength beer, commonly known as 3.2 beer.

"You've got out-of-state chain stores pitching bills that will put Coloradans out of business and sell full-strength alcohol in the same places our minors buy gasoline and slushies," said Jeanne McEvoy, director of the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association. "That's a two-for-one deal Colorado can't afford."

Advertisement

When liquor stores won the right to open on Sundays several years ago, convenience stores and groceries complained that it cut into their game-day beer sales.

And convenience stores complained about something they saw as another slight: Liquor stores and restaurants for years had been selling low-strength beer, which only convenience stores and groceries are allowed to do.

So, convenience stores last year supported legislation aimed at forcing the Department of Revenue to enforce existing law by setting up rules requiring brewers to test and report the alcohol content of their beers.

The rules very well could have forced restaurants and liquor stores to stop serving several well-known brands.

The rules process had been underway for months before Hickenlooper took office in January and then this month scuttled the new regulations at the behest of microbrewers. The governor said he was merely cutting excessive red tape.

And the liquor fight may not be over. Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said she plans to file a bill this week that would allow convenience stores — but not groceries — to sell full-strength beer.

Boyd said allowing groceries and "big-box stores" to sell full-strength beer would put many mom-and-pop liquor stores out of business. Under Colorado law, liquor-store owners are permitted to hold only one license, which is why big grocery and retail stores such as Target and Costco have one location in Colorado where they sell full-strength beer and liquor.

Not all kids who play baseball are uniformed with fancy script across their chests, traveling to $1,000 instructional camps and drilled how to properly hit the cut-off man. Some kids just play to play.